While having tea, Andrew, Pierre and several officers discuss the war, and war in general.
Summary:
Prince Andrew, reluctant to entertain Pierre alone, invites several officers to join them for tea. They have a long conversation about war. They begin by asking Pierre his impression of their position. Pierre asks their opinion of Kutúzov, which he finds is generally favorable. It’s good to have a Russian in charge. Andrew complains of Barclay’s abandoning Smolénsk. Pierre says Barclay is a great strategist. Andrew counters that strategy is useless, that battles are unpredictable, and everything depends on the men on the field. Andrew expects Russia to win tomorrow. The officers leave, and Pierre and Andrew continue to talk about war. Andrew says if there is going to be a war, it should be to the death. As practiced now, he says, war is little more than a favorite pastime for the idle and frivolous. Pierre leaves and Andrew tries to sleep, but his mind returns to recollections, including a pleasant conversation he once had with Natásha.
quote from the chapter:
But what is war? What is needed for success in warfare? What are the habits of the military? The aim of war is murder; the methods of war are spying, treachery, and their encouragement, the ruin of a country’s inhabitants, robbing them or stealing to provision the army, and fraud and falsehood termed military craft. The habits of the military class are the absence of freedom, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, and drunkenness. And in spite of all this it is the highest class, respected by everyone. All the kings, except the Chinese, wear military uniforms, and he who kills most people receives the highest rewards.
They meet, as we shall meet tomorrow, to murder one another; they kill and maim tens of thousands, and then have thanksgiving services for having killed so many people (they even exaggerate the number), and they announce a victory, supposing that the more people they have killed the greater their achievement. How does God above look at them and hear them? exclaimed Prince Andrew in a shrill, piercing voice. Ah, my friend, it has of late become hard for me to live. I see that I have begun to understand too much.
Book 10, Chapter 25
While having tea, Andrew, Pierre and several officers discuss the war, and war in general.
Summary:
Prince Andrew, reluctant to entertain Pierre alone, invites several officers to join them for tea. They have a long conversation about war. They begin by asking Pierre his impression of their position. Pierre asks their opinion of Kutúzov, which he finds is generally favorable. It’s good to have a Russian in charge. Andrew complains of Barclay’s abandoning Smolénsk. Pierre says Barclay is a great strategist. Andrew counters that strategy is useless, that battles are unpredictable, and everything depends on the men on the field. Andrew expects Russia to win tomorrow. The officers leave, and Pierre and Andrew continue to talk about war. Andrew says if there is going to be a war, it should be to the death. As practiced now, he says, war is little more than a favorite pastime for the idle and frivolous. Pierre leaves and Andrew tries to sleep, but his mind returns to recollections, including a pleasant conversation he once had with Natásha.
quote from the chapter:
But what is war? What is needed for success in warfare? What are the habits of the military? The aim of war is murder; the methods of war are spying, treachery, and their encouragement, the ruin of a country’s inhabitants, robbing them or stealing to provision the army, and fraud and falsehood termed military craft. The habits of the military class are the absence of freedom, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, and drunkenness. And in spite of all this it is the highest class, respected by everyone. All the kings, except the Chinese, wear military uniforms, and he who kills most people receives the highest rewards.
They meet, as we shall meet tomorrow, to murder one another; they kill and maim tens of thousands, and then have thanksgiving services for having killed so many people (they even exaggerate the number), and they announce a victory, supposing that the more people they have killed the greater their achievement. How does God above look at them and hear them? exclaimed Prince Andrew in a shrill, piercing voice. Ah, my friend, it has of late become hard for me to live. I see that I have begun to understand too much.
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